A shooter and a spotter of a three-man sniper team with 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment zero a sniper rifle at training facility near Camp Buehring, Kuwait , Aug 21.

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – The 3rd Squadron, 2nd (Stryker) Cavalry Regiment used Third Army/U.S. Army Central’s various ranges in Kuwait, including the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facilities and the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, to prepare for operations in Iraq.

Armed with an array of sniper rifles, including the 50-caliber Barrett Sniper System, the 3-2 SCR’s snipers are divided into three man teams including a shooter, spotter and a radio telephone operator. The snipers of the 3-2 SCR train the way they fight, without headgear to weigh down on their necks and mess up their aim, said Staff Sgt. Daniel Schwendeman, non-commissioned officer in charge of the 3-2 SCR sniper team.

The shooter gets the target in his sites and fires the weapon as the spotter watches downrange for the impact. The spotter observes where the round hit and provides the proper corrections to the shooter. The shooter then adjusts the weapon to compensate for the wind and distance. Using data on previous engagements the snipers are able to switch out firers without re-zeroing the weapons each time another set of hands touches them, Schwendeman said.

“One shot one kill is a myth,” said Schwendeman. “Everybody misses once. The best way to get good at shooting is to find what works for you.”

The 3-2 SCR is a very experienced unit with more than 75 percent of its Soldiers having been deployed to Iraq, Clark said.

Snipers are pulled from within an infantry unit as some of the best marksman among their peers. Once sniper qualified, they can count themselves among the best marksman in the Army, able to eliminate an enemy thousands of meters away, Clark said.

Morale is high and the Soldiers of the 3-2 SCR appear trained up and ready to head into Iraq, Clark said.

“I love what I do,” Schwendeman said. “I think it’s the best job in the Army.”

A sniper from 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based out of Germany, looks down the scope of his sniper rifle at a training facility near Camp Buehring, Aug. 21.

A sniper from 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment aims at target at a training facility near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Aug 21. The 3-2 SCR used Third Army training facilities Kuwait before heading to Iraq.